update May 13 2010 Issue 69
Key messages
from the new Leeds Children’s Trust board The new Leeds Children’s Trust board met for the first time at the end of April. The board will focus on the Children’s Trust arrangements in Leeds, working in a way that suits local partners to drive improved outcomes for children, young people and their families. The board is made up of senior representatives of Leeds City Council, NHS Leeds, Leeds Youth Offending Service, West Yorkshire Police, West Yorkshire Probation, Job Centre Plus, local schools, colleges and children’s centres, the voluntary sector and government office. The key themes which emerged from the recent children’s services review, involving over 120 stakeholders, were presented at the meeting. These are: • think family; • locally tailored and targeted services; • common processes; • information sharing; and • locality arrangements. Key principles identified to underpin the work of the board are: • consistency – building on where things are working well; • communication – improving communications at all levels and across partners; • celebration – taking time to celebrate service delivery and partnership activity which is working well;
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• co-operation – developing and strengthening multi agency approaches to tricky and hard to improve issues; and • challenge – providing challenge to existing ways of working and how we can work together better. We will keep you up-to-date with any further messages from the Leeds Children’s Trust board in future editions of this bulletin. If you would like more information about Children’s Trust arrangements in the meantime, go to: http://www.leedsinitiative. org/children/page.aspx?id=438 8&ekmensel=cdb9b7c3_62_0_ 4388_2
Please pass this publication on to colleagues with an interest in outcomes for children and young people. If your organisation or colleagues do not have access to email or the internet, or would like this update in another format, please let us know. You can call us on 0113 395 0247.
Children and young people’s voices at the heart A real positive for me from the General Election is how it’s got so many people sharing opinions and discussing things that they care about. Whilst children and young people may not have a vote, we know they too are passionate and concerned about the issues that affect their lives. Across Children Leeds it’s our shared responsibility is to listen, hear and respond to their voices. From small things (like the letter I sent last week agreeing to the request of a pupil asking if he could shadow me for a day!), to broader issues, like the discussion at our first meeting of the Children’s Trust Board two weeks ago about how we put children and young people’s voices at the heart of the big decisions we make. There are some great examples of us helping young people participate and improve things in Leeds, but we must do more. So, as our services evolve over the coming year, let’s use children and young people’s views to guide and empower the changes we make.
Eleanor Brazil
Interim director of children’s services
Every Child Matters Be Healthy! update
Yorkshire Women of Achievement Awards 2010 Nominations are now open for this year’s Yorkshire Women of Achievement Awards. The only essential criteria are that the nominee should have some connection to Yorkshire and be female – there is no age restriction. Do you know a young woman who has achieved against the odds? If so, you could nominate her for the Education Award. Or, you could nominate a young woman for the Courage Award who has shown determination in the face of adversity and inspired others. This is a great opportunity to recognise the young, successful and inspiring women in Leeds. Sue Ryder Care – Wheatfields Hospice have been celebrating the achievements of Yorkshire’s women for over 20 years by running these annual awards. All proceeds from the event are in aid of the hospice, which needs £2.7 million each year to continue providing quality care for people with life-limiting illnesses such as cancer, stroke, dementia and multiple sclerosis. This year’s awards ceremony is taking place on Friday 25 June. The deadline for nominations is Friday 4 June. If you would like to nominate someone please contact Joseph Bland at Sue Ryder Care, phone: 0113 2033 338, email: joseph.bland@suerydercare.org For more information about the awards, including how to book a place at the ceremony, go to: www.suerydercare.org/ yorkshirewomen
Be Creative celebration event
Schools, children and young people, colleagues and partners are invited to attend this event to see some of the fantastic work children and young people have been doing as part of this year’s Be Healthy! Be Creative challenge, and to celebrate their achievements. The event will take place on Tuesday 29 June 2010 at Leeds Metropolitan University. Now in its fifth year, the Be Healthy! Be Creative challenge (previously known as Be Healthy! Stay Safe) currently has 82 schools registered to take part this summer term. This year’s programme is being delivered in partnership between the Education Leeds Healthy Schools and Wellbeing Service and Find Your Talent. Whole school communities, including families, can select a health or creative arts based challenge from the hundreds provided and carry their challenge out over a given period of time under the mantra of ‘Just do one thing well!’. Research from previous years shows that many of these positive changes in behaviour are sustained well into the future. For more information about the celebration event, please contact Richard Cracknell at Education Leeds, phone: 0113 214 4033, email: richard.cracknell@ educationleeds.co.uk
May 13 2010 Issue 69
Teenage Pregnancy Strategy consultation
The DCSF and the Department of Health recently published Teenage Pregnancy Strategy: Beyond 2010, outlining current best practice and provisional ideas for future work towards halving the under 18 conception rate and improving outcomes for teenage parents and their children. If you would like to give your views to inform the next phase of the strategy, you can do so online up until Thursday 20 May 2010. Click here to view and respond to the consultation
This is your publication… so let us know about the great work you are doing in your organisation. How are you including children and young people in the changes you are making? We all want Leeds to have the very best children’s services to make sure that every child matters. Please send all your comments and suggestions about this update to the children’s services unit, email: children.leeds@leeds.gov.uk phone: 0113 395 0247.
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